NDFP-EV slams Aquino regime's refusal of reciprocal ceasefire

The National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Eastern Visayas denounces the Aquino government as utterly despicable for refusing to reciprocate the revolutionary movement’s ceasefire in areas affected by Typhoon Yolanda (international name: Haiyan).

The revolutionary movement in the region has declared a unilateral ceasefire up to mid-January 2014.

The Aquino government’s regional military commander, Maj. Gen. Jet Velarmino, is particularly reprehensible for saying, “We did not make a declaration of ceasefire even after the typhoon. They are enemies of the state.”

We may be enemies of the state, but we are the friends of the people, their interests come first. On the other hand, what else can we call the Aquino government and its military, except as enemies of the people for refusing a ceasefire that would facilitate aid to the Typhoon Yolanda victims?

The Aquino government troops showed no compunction in continuing their offensives against the New People’s Army even while the region was still reeling from the typhoon’s aftermath. Gen. Velarmino’s troops from the 8th Infantry Division are still on combat operations under Oplan Bayanihan in the central parts of Samar island. Aside from search and destroy missions, they are also harassing villagers suspected of supporting the NPA. It goes to show the Aquino government and its military have no concern for the plight of the people.

Tacloban City and other calamity areas are virtual garrisons. Right after the typhoon, the Aquino government sent armored cars and armed troops to Tacloban as a “show of force” to the hungry and desperate people, who were not receiving any government aid and commandeering whatever they needed to survive.

Today, there are several military checkpoints at the entrances and exits to the city, and the people are subjected to curfews, and accosted and treated like criminals. Meanwhile, so-called bunkhouses have been hastily constructed where homeless families are to be herded like cattle into cramped confines. This scenario is replicated in other areas that are suffering from the typhoon’s aftermath. All these show that the Aquino government regards the people with contempt, showing little concern over their sufferings, and enforcing their subservience to the armed might of the state.

Is the Aquino government refusing a reciprocal ceasefire because it is not serious about long-term reconstruction in Eastern Visayas? At present, the Aquino government is making a mockery of the relief and rehabilitation in region. The typhoon victims live by the day, hoping they will have something to eat the next day, vulnerable to starvation and disease.

There is also no long-term plan for the urban and rural poor as well as the middle-class who lost their homes and livelihoods, while the vultures of corruption have started circling. Without any socio-economic reforms, without any public consultation and transparent governance, the big bureaucrats and big businesses will surely take advantage of the people’s plight in order to profit from corruption in the massive reconstruction effort needed.

As an added insult to the victims of Typhoon Yolanda, the US and Philippine governments are rushing towards an agreement justifying the basing of US military troops in the country in violation of national sovereignty. It seems the reason why there is no ceasefire for Aquino’s troops is that they are there to ensure that it will be business as usual in keeping the people in their state of exploitation and oppression.

The people will hold the Aquino regime to account for refusing a reciprocal ceasefire in order to facilitate aid to the typhoon victims. The victims of Typhoon Yolanda and the rest of the people will surely rise from their grief to demand for a reconstruction favoring the people, as well as socio-economic reforms for the long term in the region and other calamity areas. If the Aquino government cannot bring itself to call even a limited ceasefire in the name of humanity, how much more a just and lasting peace?

Democracy and Class Struggle find this interview with Senator Bob Graham fascinating especially has Senator Graham is an external advisory board member of the CIA from 2010 to 2012 and highlights US- House of Saud contradictions especially around 911.

911 is still not quite an historical event yet and the full the exposure of the conspiracy around this has yet to be completed.

There is still denial of the truth of this event similar to Kennedy Assassination even though the public reject the official narrative on the Kennedy assassination there is still persistence even on the Left to accept the official version of 911 and do not accept Saudi Arabia has co-conspirator in 911 events..

Full exposure of 911 and Saudi Arabia and the fall of the House of Saud will be tectonic for the Middle East and the Arab Spring will turn it into a raging hot Summer that will consume all remaining feudal monarchies from Morocco to Bahrain.

THIS IS WHAT THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT DOES AND WANTS TO HIDE FROM THE PEOPLE OF EUROPE UNDER THE CLOAK OF ANTI - TERRORISM

New Delhi: India on Wednesday briefed the European Union about the violence perpetrated by Naxals and urged it to ensure that the rebels do not get support from the organisations based in its member countries.In a meeting, the Ministry of External Affairs reported on Naxal activity in India.The move came after CPI (Maoist) had recently thanked more than two dozen organisations in Germany, Austria, France, Switzerland, Holland, Sweden, Italy, Norway, Spain, Britain, Brazil, Canada and Philippines which took part the November 24, 2012 conference in Hamburg supporting of the “people’s war in India”.Democracy and Class Struggle says the Indian Government wants to stop the flow of information about its anti Naxal activities and the wholesale violation of human rights of the indigenous Adivasi people's of India under Operation Green Hunt to the peoples of Europe.The organisations and individuals present in Hamburg on the 24th November 2012 shone a light on the dark side of "shiny" India and the crimes of the Indian Government against the indigenous Adivasi people and other oppressed minorities..India cannot commit its crimes in the dark anymore has the light that exposed them that was lit in Hamburg and can never be extinguished, because it is the freedom that we breath.Europe is aware of India's fake encounters, its massacres,its use of food as a weapon of war, and the murder of India's best sons in the 21st Century like comrades Kishenji and Azad.The use of the "anti terror" cloak by the Indian Government does nothing but expose the Indian comprador governments naked brutality before the world.

Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF)Contact: revolutionarydemocracy@gmail.comPress Statement28 November 2013.The heinous incident of sexual assault on a young woman journalist of Tehelka by its editor-in-chief, Tarun Tejpal, at the ThinkFest, an event organized by the news magazine, in Goa and the course of events that followed over the last three weeks have once again foregrounded the sordid social reality of entrenched patriarchy and unequal relations between men and women that allows and sustains the dominance and abuse of power in our society. RDF condemns in the strongest possible terms the sexual assault on this young journalist and demands the immediate punishment of the guilty for justice to be done.Sexual harassment in work places and educational institutions is one of the many spaces wherein patriarchal dominance over women manifest in overt and covert ways, lead to criminal acts of violence, abuse and intimidation, affecting the lives, mobility and dignity of women. The Vishakha Judgment of the Supreme Court recognized this in 1997 and was a result of a long struggle on the part of the progressive and democratic sections of society. It mandated the formation of anti-sexual harassment committees at work places and educational institutions where people could lodge complaints against such violations and harassments. These committees were to be compulsory bodies in these public institutions, headed by a woman, with at least half its members as women. Despite this landmark judgment, bodily violence and other equally repulsive forms of sexual harassment in these institutions have continued unabated. In some cases, the forms of such violations have changed and the instances continue to grow, even as these bodies hardly function or even exist in most institutions. At places where they have been formed, it was only a result of protracted struggles by progressive forces, and even then, at most times, they stand sabotaged and undermined according to the whims of the governing body of the institution.This incident within the Tehelka establishment, therefore, is neither an isolated incident, nor does it come as a shock to many who have been following the terms of the debate on the need for legislation to protect and safeguard women in this country. The incident took place in ThinkFest, a corporate sponsored event endorsed by some of the biggest mining giants known for illegal mining activities across the country and sponsored the extra-judicial vigilante group Salwa Judum like Essar and Tata Steel, big corporations known for land-grab like the Adani group and DLF, CocaCola, Unitech, defense equipment manufacturer Pipavav, major corporate owned and backed media-houses, some politicians, and well known leaders of civil society. The event itself boasted of speaking for the poorest of the poor but closed its doors to this very poor with its inaccessible entry charge. Behind all the glitz and glamour of such events, what lies unveiled is the perpetuation and accentuation of the unequal power relations inherent in this semi-feudal Indian social reality. Moreover, these same notorious corporations have been the motive force behind Operation Green Hunt and other such brutal wars and counter-insurgency operations executed by the Indian state in which hundreds of adivasi and Dalit women have been raped and murdered. When the founders of an organization like Tehelka openly proclaim the same values as the sponsors of an event organized by it, it comes as no surprise that the same unequal man-woman power relations and social inequality will be perpetuated and defended by it. The invoking of a self-ordained penance by Tejpal and the managing editor Shoma Choudhury’s defense of this man and refusal to go to the police by calling it a mere ‘untoward incident’ in light of his ‘unconditional apology’, and the act of recusing himself for six months smacks of the feudal loyalty to the tainted and fallen institution that has lost all journalistic credibility in its attempt to shamelessly cover up the incident as ‘an internal matter of the Tehelka family’. Instead of standing with the complainant in her struggle for justice, Choudhury did the rounds of the media defending her decisions to safeguard the interests of Tehelka.Rabid slandering, character assassination, intimidation of the concerned woman are all common practices in such cases of sexual harassments and a weapon with which patriarchal forces regularly operate and vilify women who dare to stand up against it. In this case, too, such smear campaign has aggravated the agony of the complainant. Citing such slander, intimidation and lack of support, the complainant has resigned from Tehelka. Though initially he ‘accepted’ his crime and even decided to ‘recuse (him)self’ for six months to ‘atone further’ and ‘do the penance that lacerates (him)’, but in characteristic about-turn of a wronged patriarch faced with the possibility of answering to his crimes, Tejpal cries foul. After the filing of the police case, he has backtracked from his original stance and frontally attacked the woman by called her a ‘right wing agent’, ‘a conspirator’ and a loose woman who up until now he had no qualms employing within his organization. Swimming in turn-of-phrases and verbose statements, today Tejpal shuttles between consensual and non-consensual, misreading and misconduct, sexual encounter and rape. A man who, up until now, thought he enjoyed impunity from such accusations due to his position within the media and the corporate world, finds himself outraged at the isolation he enjoys in his ivory tower of paternalistic concern he extended to the journalistic fraternity.At the same time, the sensationalization of this incident by the corporate media with no sense of responsibility, journalistic ethics or even sensitivity is condemnable. In a bid to raise their TRP ratings, different media houses covered explicit details of the complaint and other information regarding the complainant leaked to them at times directly by the Goa police. Despite knowing that such media trials and coverage of extremely confidential details only affect the complainant and the case, the irresponsible coverage of news ignores cases of sexual harassment that abound aplenty in these media houses. Irresponsible coverage affects the complainant in this case and dissuades women from speaking up against such harassment generally.After the mass outrage and protests against the rape of a young paramedic student in Delhi last year, the discourse around preventing sexual violence, crimes against women, and gender justice has occupied the centre stage of various debates. The month of April saw the definition of rape being redefined to include a wider range of sexual assaults on women. Despite that, the various forms of sexual violence have continued unabated even as forms of violence within the household or ‘marital rape’ remains outside the purview of the law. Rape as a weapon continues to be used as it was during the Muzaffarnagar riots though its coverage was atrociously lacking when compared with the sordid stories of rapes by self appointed god-men like Asaram Bapu. The coverage of the acquittal of the rapists and murderers of Laxmanpur Bathe pales in comparison to the distasteful coverage of the judgment on the Arushi-Hemraj murder in Delhi. While hundreds of stories of custodial rape like that of Soni Sori in Chhattisgarh, rape by armed forces in Shopian in Kashmir, Manipur; the right wing forces in Gujarat in 2002, Kandhamal in Odisha, dominant castes in Khairlanji in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu get lost in the pages of news as everyday occurrences, these debates on TV channels and nwespapers bring us back to the reality of entrenched patriarchy that stares us in the face. This violence against women reflects the inextricable alliance between the patriarchal structure of society and the unequal semi-feudal, semi-colonial relations that sustains it. The various wings of the state machinery have actively served to strengthen this social reality while thwarting and suppressing all struggles for democratization and gender justice. This extreme inequality between men and women is inherent to this system and all other forms of inequalities and oppression only strengthen it. Today, it is clear that only radical and assertive struggles that recognize patriarchal domination and all other forms of oppression embedded in society, and organize and challenge these structures, and unite to smash patriarchy will lead towards a gender just world.Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF) extends its solidarity with the complainant and all other journalists working in Tehelka who have dared to stand up against Tarun Tejpal. RDF pledges to be a part of the struggle to ensure justice to the concerned woman and for the punishment of the guilty.Varavara Rao G N SaibabaPresident Joint Secretary

1 The Scottish Socialist Party welcomes the publication of the Scottish Governments Independence White Paper ‘Scotland’s Future – Your Guide to an Independent Scotland’. We believe it is a comprehensive and timely addition to the most important debate the people of Scotland have faced in decades.

2 As partners in the ‘Yes Scotland’ coalition the Scottish Socialist Party shares the Government’s commitment to Independence and belief in the immense benefits it can bring the people of Scotland.

3 We commend the White Paper’s commitment to social and political democracy, prosperity and fairness. We believe it reflects the social democratic aspirations of the people of Scotland and we particularly welcome those sections; providing universal free childcare for pre-school children, scrapping the hated ‘bedroom tax’, removing Trident nuclear weapons, growing Scotland’s economy and population by welcoming those who wish to come and live here, returning Royal Mail to public ownership, introducing a written constitution, providing seats for worker directors on company boards, supporting greater environmental protection, promoting greater energy efficiency and extending much needed social protection to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups.

The White Paper sets out a clear vision of Independence that unquestionably represents very significant advance for the people of Scotland. We also welcome the commitment to reduce gas and electricity bills by 10% per annum after Independence but would like to have seen the Scottish Government go further given the publics very real concern over these bills and re-iterate the pledge it made in its 2007 manifesto to eradicate fuel poverty in Scotland completely.

We would also liked to have seen a commitment to take the renewable energy industry into public ownership – just as the Scottish Government did recently with Prestwick Airport - and to return our gas and electricity supply industry into public hands as we believe both measures are concomitant with pledges to achieve greater economic prosperity, social democracy and fairness. The SSP also prefers the approach Norway took to its oil and gas resources in taking them into public ownership rather than privatising them.

4 The Scottish Socialist Party advocates an Independent socialist Scotland. And like many Scots we favour a modern democratic republic. There are inevitably therefore some proposals in the White Paper we do not support such as reducing Corporation Tax, entering a ‘Sterling Zone’ for our own currency, NATO membership and retaining an un-elected, unrepresentative monarch as our Head of State in our new, modern, democratic Scotland.

Nonetheless, we wholeheartedly agree with the view expressed in the White Paper that ‘Decisions about Scotland will be taken by the people who care most about Scotland – those who live and work here’. And in that spirit we fully acknowledge that all the issues in the White Paper should and indeed will be decided by the people of Scotland themselves in the first elections to our newly Independent Parliament in 2016.

5 For our part the Scottish Socialist Party will continue to highlight the significant advantages Independence brings to Scotland; no more Tory Governments, no more Trident missiles, no more ‘bedroom tax’, returning the Royal Mail to public ownership, a fairer tax system, and above all self-determination for the people of Scotland at last – all in all a much more attractive prospect than the one we currently face.

6 The Scottish Socialist Party remains focused above all on winning a resounding ‘Yes’ vote in the 2014 Referendum and we continue to work alongside all our partners in the ‘Yes Scotland’ coalition to secure that pre-eminent objective.

I also welcome the positive response from Colin and the SSP the White Paper is detailed and much to read but the SNP through FM Alex and Deputy Nicola have provided us with the bones by public announcement. Above all it is child friendly and family included while rejecting the madness of Trident nuclear weapons

A Republican Socialists we are not in agreement with all that is in offer. The EU, Sterling or keeping the Pound, NATO, and god dammit the Monarchy.

However the document from the Scottish Government is well thought out and despite the Unionist media propaganda it ready to be put to the test after a Yes vote for independence.

What we should do as Republican Socialists is welcome the SSP response and expect more from a somewhat fragmented Scottish Left.

Mind you the emergence of the Radical Independence Campaign from the SWP breakaway International Socialist Group (ISG) and other assorted groups on the left in Scotland there is hope and anything is possible here, that we concentrate on Scottish Freedom, and only then can we argue, campaign, fight whatever you like for an independent Scottish Socialist Republic as outlined by John MacLean after we get an Independent Scotland, albeit initially social democratic and a tad reformist. Anything better than the British imperialist status quo.

Anyway what I recognise is that things are different here and we have a real opportunity in 2014 to vote for independence and circumstances are very different here to the issues of England or Wales or even Cornwall. I cringe at reading the comments on the Socialist Unity website on the Scottish question.

Let us walk before we can run first we must get independence then build on it and hell socialists like us will be there for the Republic.

The 1895Treaty of Shimonoseki, signed after China was defeated by Japan in a war.The agreement cededTaiwanand parts of the Liaodong peninsula to Japan, and China paid a fine and renouncedKorea’s tributary status to China.The scholars argued that the treaty was nullified with Japan’s defeat in World War II, and that this called into question Japan’s claim to the Ryukyus and not just Daioyu Islands.
See Also:

Victor Gao, Director of the China
National Association of International Studies on Daioyu Islands

Japan seems to ignore the fact that it has demarcated a similar
identification zone in the East China Sea for years, and has expanded this zone
over the years. In fact, the western-most line of Japan's zone stretches all the
way to China and is only about 135km (84 miles) from China's coast at the
closest point.

China's position

Islands have been part of its territory since ancient times, serving as
important fishing grounds administered by the province of Taiwan

Taiwan was ceded to Japan in the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, after the
Sino-Japanese war

When Taiwan was returned in the Treaty of San Francisco, China says the
islands - as part of it - came with it

China also cites the Cairo and Potsdam declarations, under which Japan was
ordered to return territory taken from China

In recent years, Japan has on many occasions scrambled
fighter planes to warn off Chinese planes when they entered the Japanese zone,
as if the zone were Japan's territorial space. In a sense, China's announcement
of an identification zone is in response to Japan's abusive use of its zone to
start with.

It is important to note that the Chinese and Japanese zones overlap to a
large extent. Therefore, both nations need to handle themselves carefully and
prudently to avoid any miscalculations or unintended consequences.

However, the fundamental reason for the deterioration of relations between
Japan and its two important neighbours, China and South Korea, is because
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and many Japanese politicians still refuse to
acknowledge war atrocities.

They deny the existence of the Nanjing Massacre, they claim the Korean sex
slaves worked voluntarily, they continue to worship at the Yasukuni Shrine. They
also want to abandon the peace commitment set out in the Japanese constitution,
and rearm.

Although Japan is doing its utmost to tie the United States to its bandwagon,
China and the US are significantly increasing their military co-operation and
strategic dialogue.

After all, China and the US shed blood together to
defeat Japan in WWII, and, with increasing dialogue and confidence-building
measures between Beijing and Washington, it is highly unlikely that the US will
shed blood to encourage or even to protect a militarising Japan.

China is urging Japan to unequivocally renounce the war atrocities and come
back to the negotiating table regarding the territorial dispute over the Diaoyu
Islands.

China and Japan can only resolve this dispute through peaceful negotiations.
Recognising the territorial dispute and coming back to the negotiating table is
the only sensible choice for Japan.

Note :

Victor Gao isDirector of the China National Association of International Studies, linked to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Paul Jay asks Senator Graham if a culture of "not wanting to know" was created to prevent the conspiracy from being uncovered and to protect the role of the Saudi government.

Democracy and Class Struggle find this interview with Senator Bob Graham fascinating especially has Senator Graham is an external advisory board member of the CIA from 2010 to 2012 and highlights US- House of Saud contradictions especially around 911.

911 is still not quite an historical event yet and the full the exposure of the conspiracy around this has yet to be completed.

There is still denial of the truth of this event similar to Kennedy Assassination even though the public reject the official narrative on the Kennedy assassination there is still persistence even on the Left to accept the official version of 911 and do not accept Saudi Arabia has co-conspirator in 911 events..

Full exposure of 911 and Saudi Arabia and fall of the House of Saud will be tectonic for the Middle East and the Arab Spring will turn it into a raging hot Summer that will consume all remaining feudal monarchies from Morocco to Bahrain.

On RAI with Paul Jay, Sen. Bob Graham explains why he persists in making the case that facts directly connect the Saudi government with 9/11 conspirators.

Democracy and Class Struggle find this interview with Senator Bob Graham fascinating especially has Senator Graham is an external advisory board member of the CIA and highlights US- House of Saud contradictions especially around 911.

911 is still not quite an historical event yet and the full the exposure of the conspiracy around this has yet to be completed.

There is still denial of the truth of this event similar to Kennedy Assassination even though the public reject the official narrative on the Kennedy assassination there is still persistence even on the Left to accept the official version of 911 and do not accept Saudi Arabia has co-conspirator in 911 events..

Full exposure of 911 and Saudi Arabia and the House of Saud will be tectonic for the Middle East and the Arab Spring will turn it into a raging hot Summer that will consume all remaining feudal monarchies from Morocco to Bahrain.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Various media have asked us to comment on the Brixton "slavery" affair. As the media might have established by now, Aravindan Balakrishnan was expelled from an organisation which preceded our own in 1974, at a time when it carried a large amount of work against state-organised racist and fascist violence and in defence of minority rights and the right of the Irish people to self-determination.

You can see with the current revelations in the police investigation that the organisation which expelled him must have had good reason – first and foremost, opposition to his penchant for cultism.

For the rest, any media attempts to connect his rotten activities with Marxism-Leninism for purposes of presenting Marxism-Leninism as cultism and extremism are pure disinformation and sensationalism. Such attempts in no way assist to show what Marxism-Leninism is and we do not think they deserve an answer.

Working people are facing serious problems today as a result of the neo-liberal anti-social offensive and all its attendant injustices and ills. Turning a wretched episode in the lives of some miserable people into a salacious investigation is surely a new low even for the British media.

We have no further comment on this matter.

Democracy and Class Struggle welcomes this statement from RCPB (ML) against the poison in the British Media particularly in the Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph smearing the Left concerning the events in Brixton surrounding Aravindan Balakrishnan's activities.

Opening Statement in Prose Poem (Proem) at the Open Source TribunalNicolai Church, Utrecht, Netherlands23 November 2013

CASE: National Democratic Movement of the Philippinesversus Those Responsible for the Unnatural Disaster Related to Supertyphoon Haiyan

By Prof. JOSE MARIA SISONFounding Chairman, Communist Party of the Philippines

The bewildering winds howled from afar,Then came suddenly screaming into the earsOf the people as rooftops flew like hatsAnd walls tumbled down like cards.The teeming huts of the poor toilers crumbledSo did the few houses of the middle class.The winds showed no respect to the churchesAnd shook the solitary mansions of the powerful.The flying and falling parts of every structureKilled and injured people in great numbers.

The sea rose like a mountain close to the shoreAnd surged to engulf the people and shambles. It swept and carried them away as flotsamKilling more people than did the monstrous winds.As if death by drowning were not enough,The loss of food stocks and the plenitude of dirty brineCaused maddening death by hunger and thirstAs the crucial days passed without rescue and reliefFrom the high bureaucrats who had promised theseBefore the super typhoon and storm surge.

The highest and most corrupt of the bureaucrats Had boasted that planes, ships and relief goodsWere ready to come to the aid of the people in distress.But none came for a long while as hunger, thirst, illnessAnd death stalked 15 million people in 32 provinces.As people cried for loved ones lost amidst the wreckageAnd the stench of the dead, he depicted the victims as lootersTo obscure his crime of having vetoed public fundsFor pre-disaster preparations and for having pocketedEvery year the calamity fund in billions of pesos.

We accuse the rulers of corruption and incompetence,Of conniving with the military and NGO racketeersIn the diversion of public funds to their private accounts,Making the people suffer natural and social calamities.We demand the end of the wanton destruction of livesOf the fishermen, peasants, workers and other poor.We demand that justice be rendered in their favor.We demand the end of the cruel and corrupt regimeAnd thus let the people prevail and take a step forward In freeing themselves from exploiters and oppressors.

Long before Haiyan, the vulnerability of the peopleTo natural disasters has been predetermined By the imperialists, the big compradors, landlordsAnd by the corrupt bureaucrats who chain the toilersTo the system of exploitation and unrelenting poverty Consigning them to expanses of frail homes Of nipa and bamboo or discarded pieces of wood,Easily destroyed by the typhoons and floods.It is the edifices of the wealthy and powerfulThat have withstood the onlaughts of Yolanda.

We accuse the rulers and their foreign mastersOf subjecting the Filipino toilers to the violenceIn the daily grind of exploitation and oppressionAnd in the cycles of social crisis and natural disaster.We demand the end of the system of exploitation,That condemns the people to lives of want and misery,Without adequate food and shelter from the storms.We demand that the broad masses of the people enjoyThe blessings of national and social liberation,All-round development, social justice and peace.

Long before Haiyan, the imperialists and their puppetsHave ravaged and plundered the environment.They have used open pit mining and excessive chemicalsTo extract the natural riches of the Philippines.They have poisoned the atmosphere with carbon emissions,Caused global warming and warmed the Pacific OceanTo make the typhoons more often and more devastating.There are indications that weather warfare is a footWith microwave pulses being manipulated to stir upA super typhoon as ferocious as Yolanda.

We accuse the US-led imperialists of ruining the milieu,Causing global warming and making natural disastersMore frequent, more destructive and more deadly.It is outrageous that the puppets in the Philippines welcomeThe invading military forces of the US and its allies Under the pretext of humanitarian assistanceAnd accept more debts from the imperialist banksFor the further benefit of the wealthy and powerful We must rise up to fight the foreign superprofiteersAnd the puppets shameless in treason and national betrayal.

The toiling masses have lost thousands of livesAnd millions of them their homes and means of livelihood.They expect nothing from their oppressors and exploitersBut worse oppression and exploitation after every disaster.The people can best fight for their lives and rights And have thus rescued and lifted themselves up.Still they need the help of compatriots at home and abroadAnd the solidarity and support of the people of the worldTo accelerate relief, rehabilitation and reconstructionAnd to prevent the exploiters from further ruining them.

We appeal to the people of the world to help the Filipino peopleThrough the people's organizations and not the corrupt regime.Like the imperialists, the corrupt bureaucrats and military officersAre vultures hovering and gloating over the dead and suffering.They are ever poised to feast on public funds and foreign aidThat they deem as off-budget account subject to their greed.We are confident that the people of the world stand in solidarity With the Filipino people not only against one unnatural disasterBut against all the disasters unleashed by the imperialists and puppetsAnd for the common purpose of creating a new and better world.

Monday, November 25, 2013

We must care for and lead the masses in overcoming the present situation -- this should be the principal concern of the revolutionary forces in the next 2 to 6 months. We will carry out during this period a temporary and unilateral ceasefire against the reactionary armed forces.

Eastern Visayas as well other nearby regions only recently suffered an unparalleled calamity. Typhoon Yolanda, which was estimated to have wind speeds of more than 300 km. per hour, lashed the entire length of the region for three to four hours, and caused a 5-meter storm surge that inundated coastas areas. This resulted in thousands of dead, injured and missing, and hundreds of thousands of demolished houses; destruction of important infrastructure for energy, transportation and communication and other public structures; damage to agriculture and the economy in general; mass evacuation of families; and other damage.

In the more than two weeks since the storm, the Aquino government has not fully arrived at an accurate picture of the destruction because it has focused only on the urban centers, while remaining ignorant about the situation in the vaster and more numerous towns. Even foreign observers note there is no organized and systematic government response to the calamity.

The revolutionary forces feel for the masses of the people in EV in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda’s devastation, which comes on top of the sufferings they already undergo under the exploitative and oppressive ruling system. We must care for and lead the masses in overcoming the present situation. In the next two to six months, this should be the principal concern of the revolutionary forces, according to the extent of the gravity of the damage to the life and livelihood of the masses. We will carry out during this period a temporary and unilateral ceasefire against the reactionary armed forces, while maintaining strict security and the readiness all the time to defend ourselves if the enemy attacks.

We call the attention of the Red commanders and fighters under the Efren Martires Command-New People’s Army to the following order of the Executive Committee of the Regional Committee-Eastern Visayas of the Communist Party of the Philippines on 12 November:

Offensive operations are suspended from here on until the middle of January (2 months).

An active defense posture shall be maintained such as remaining on strict security, being always ready to face enemy attacks, and the carrying out of military training during this period.

The Party leadership in EV shall communicate again through the ROC (Regional Operations Command) whether the ceasefire period should be lifted or extended.

The mass movement must be active in carrying out important issues to surmount the disaster. The mass movement must banner the urgent needs of the masses of the people for housing, food, clothing, medicine and livelihood projects for rehabilitation.

The recurring neglect and corruption by officials of the reactionary government tasked with relief operations and funds for the people must be denounced.

Campaigns for production and cooperation must be carried out. The rising prices of the people’s basic needs must be protested, especially that of food as well as gasoline, electricity, LPG (liquified petroleum gas), medicine, housebuilding materials, and others.

There can be many courses of action. There can be various local ways of community spirit and cooperation (tiklos, aglayon, pintakasi), building houses and the restoration of public structures. Organized demands must be pushed through, such as calling for the Aquino government’s action towards solving the problems of hunger, thirst, illness, and other results of Typhoon Yolanda. Mass actions must be carried out against the higher costs of not only food but also gasoline, transportation fares, electricity and others. Mass campaigns for planting must be carried out, especially those which could immediately yield results, as well as work-for-cash. There must be mass actions against militarization. Depending on the hotness of the issue, there can be mass actions at the municipal or inter-municipal level.

Documentation must be carried out to ascertain the severity of the damage caused by the storm, such as the dead, injured, destroyed homes, and also farm animals, agricultural crops and infrastructure, as these will serve as the bases for mass campaign struggles.

The Party, NPA, and the mass organzations must be united about the urgency in jointly addressing this issue as their primary concern. The mass movement is the key means towards solving the problems caused by the storm, thus we must reinvigorate this along with closely monitoring and guiding. The Party members at the basic level must lead the way in the mass movement and serve as examples to the people in serving and leading the masses. The people’s army must particupate in the production for food and in joining hands in repairing and building houses and the restoration of public structures.

Support for the masses must also be obtained from the upper classes, humanitarian organizations, and allies in the reactionary government. The mass organizations and the people should get the support of the friendly elements within and outside the bureaucracy, humanitarian and civic organizations, and others. The organizations and alliances of the people must actively seek support and funding from friends in the government, especially those who have the funds and aid supplies for the victims, and the international organizations as well.

The calamity victims and the people must do propaganda actively. They must condemn the Aquino government’s obliviousness, superficiality, hypocrisy in aiding the victims, and looting of government calamity funds and humanitarian aid from abroad, The price hikes of basic goods and services must be protested. In the face of natural calamity, the inutility and corruption of the Aquino government can be further exposed and linked to issues such as the pork barrel scandal.

The Aquino regime must be slammed for its militarist approach to the problems of hunger, thirst and sickness, as well as the continuation of military operations in the countryside. The Aquino regime must be held accountable for its arrogance and derision of the people’s desperation and in showing armed force rather than humane aid. The Aquino regime’s psywar vilification of the revolutionary movement must be exposed and opposed, such as its claims of harassment of the relief convoys and the allegations of taking advantage of the calamity to sow chaos. The regime is doing these to gain the upper hand and mislead the people that it is taking care of the calamity victims. The US must also be condemned for taking advantage in sending warships, including those with nuclear weapons, on the pretext of aiding the calamity victims.

Democracy and Class Struggle says Aravindan Balakrishnan the man at the centre of the slavery scandal in Brixton was expelled from Communist England in 1974 and set up a cult around the Workers Institute. Other Maoist groups were to shun the Workers’ Institute, disassociating themselves from its activities and refusing them entry into their meetings. Aravindan Balakrishnan was generally regarded as a nutter by London Maoists.Today the British capitalist media are enjoying themselves linking Maoism with Slavery - whereas the reality Maoism liberated millions if not billions from capitalist slavery and continues to do so to this day.

If you want to find out what Maoism is - here is a reading list for you:If you don't want to know then remember the African Proverb"Not to know is bad. Not to wish to know is worse".

I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in Mao Zedong to buy it and read it.

Understanding Mobo Gao's Mao Zedong will help people better understand why People all over the world hold Mao Zedong in such high regard as one of the 20th Century's great leaders and thinkers.

Mao and Maoism have got a bad press in the West as result of Jung Chang and Li Zhisui. This book is a definitive refutation of the "Unknown Mao" and has an excellent chapter on the doctoring of history by Li Zhisui and hence kills two enemies with one sword.

Apart from new information on the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution that will help clear up distortions of Mao's position on these events.

There are two chapters on the Electronic Media and the Information on Chinese Bloggers and Chinese Websites that have become vehicles for a vigourous defence of Mao Zedong by participants in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural revolution whose memories while erased from "official history" have surfaced on the internet.

Truth is a process and that process has began on the Chinese Web - buy this book and make sure people in the West have access to the new information Mobo Gao has painstakingly unearthed.

It deserves to be read by millions has an antidote to Jung Chang and Li Zhisui but it will not be promoted by the BBC or Al Jazeera and the US government has Jung Changs Book was - just by honest readers who place a premium on the truth.

Speakers:Michelle Stanistreet, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists (NUJ)Tony Bunyan, Director, Statewatch, journalist and author the The Shape of things to ComeRob Evans,Guardian journalist and co-author with Paul Lewis of Undercover: the True Story of Britain’s Secret PoliceMatthew RyderQC, Matrix Chambers, representing David MirandaDrNafeez Ahmed author, international security scholar, environment writer for The Guardian; latest book, A User's Guide to the Crisis of CivilizationAnd How to Save It.Les Levidow, CAMPACC

Chair:Kat Craig, Reprieve, Legal Director of the Abuses in Counter-Terrorism (ACT) and Vice-Chair of Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers

‘National security’ has been the common rationale for special counter-terror measures and mass state surveillance. State methods include: undercover agents, interrogation under Schedule 7, informers and electronic surveillance by the NSA and GCHQ. These practices systematically breach the right to privacy of one's correspondence. Recent revelations about pervasive, mass electronic surveillance have provoked public debate on such practices and their political rationale.

These measures have especially targeted migrant communities, Muslims and political activists. Counter-terror powers also impose various punishments without trial, e.g. 28-day pre-charge detention, freeze on bank accounts, travel restrictions, even revocation of citizenship.

Such extreme powers are not needed to protect the public. Rather, they are used to intimidate, disorganise and stigmatise opposition to state agendas for global domination and permanent war. Through a securitisation process, potentially all societal conflicts are portrayed as threats of disorder or of enemies. Threats – terrorism, extremism and suspicious behaviour – are defined so broadly as to target potentially anyone. Supposedly to protect us from such threats, ‘security measures’ are becoming all-pervasive, turning us all into suspects.